Male Russet-tipped Clubtail dragonflies (Stylurus plagiatus) have a larger, more colorful club than females of the same species, their hind wings are “indented,” and their terminal appendages are shaped differently. Compare and contrast the appearance of males and females by looking at the following annotated images.
Male
Male dragonflies have three terminal appendages, collectively called “claspers,” that are used to grab and hold female dragonflies during mating: an upper pair of cerci (“superior appendages”); and a lower unpaired epiproct (“inferior appendage”).
14 OCT 2016 | JMAWR | Russet-tipped Clubtail (male)
(See a full-size version of the original photo, without annotation.)
Notice the epiproct is a wide “plate” that spans both cerci, as shown in the full-size version of the preceding annotated image.
Female
All female dragonflies have a pair of cerci (superior appendages) that have little or no function. The hind wings of female clubtails are rounded.
21 AUG 2015 | Powhatan County, VA | Russet-tipped Clubtail (female)
(See a full-size version of the original photo, without annotation.)
The female Russet-tipped Clubtail dragonfly shown in the preceding image was spotted along the James River by my good friend Michael Boatwright, founder of the Virginia Odonata Facebook group. Sincere thanks to Mike for permission to use his photographs (background and inset).
Related Resources: Digital Dragonflies, presenting high-resolution digital scans of living dragonflies.
- Genus Stylurus | Stylurus plagiatus | Russet-tipped Clubtail | male | top view
- Genus Stylurus | Stylurus plagiatus | Russet-tipped Clubtail | female | top view
- Genus Stylurus | Stylurus plagiatus | Russet-tipped Clubtail | female | side view
Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: cerci, claspers, epiproct, Family Gomphidae (Clubtails), female, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, James River, male, Mulligan Pond, Russet-tipped Clubtail dragonfly, terminal appendages
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